Shutdown Strategy: House Weighs NIH Funding

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R., Va.) leads a news conference on the budget impasse Oct. 1, 2013, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington. (REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst)

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R., Va.) said House Republicans Wednesday introduced a bill to restore funding to the National Institutes of Health so that the NIH can accept new patients with cancer and other severe diseases.

Rep. Cantor was responding to an article in The Wall Street Journal that said the NIH Tuesday starting turning away some of the 200 new patients it receives each week from around the country. That number includes about 30 children, most of whom have cancer.

The GOP bill, apparently an attempt in part to alleviate political pressure on House Republicans over the government shutdown, would restore not only the new-patient clinical funds but also the entirety of the NIH budget. The legislation, called the Research for Lifesaving Cures Act, would keep NIH funding at the same level as fiscal 2013, which ended Monday. Of course, that level already had been trimmed from 2012 levels by the across-the-board spending cuts imposed on all federal agencies.

“I would like to guarantee that the people who are suffering, not getting treatment at the NIH could be answered tomorrow,” Mr. Cantor said in a statement. “For the Democrats to say we’re going to play a political game and we’re not going to help those kids – we’re really tired of playing games.”

Democrats rejected the approach.

“It’s time for Republicans to stop throwing one crazy idea after another at the wall, in hopes that something will stick,” Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D., Nev.) said when the Senate opened on Wednesday. “Nothing is stuck. There’s been a sensible plan to reopen the government right in front of House Republicans all along.”

The House Budget Committee’s top Democrat, Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D., Md.), whose district includes NIH, said, “These are scientists at the NIH, not Republicans or Democrats. Republicans know the fastest way to fix this is to pass a clean bill and send it to the President, who is waiting to sign it. Many people cannot understand why the Speaker won’t let the people’s House vote.”

The White House Office of Management and Budget also criticized the gradual strategy, saying in a statement Wednesday morning that “a piecemeal fashion is not a serious or responsible way to run the United States Government. Instead of opening up a few Government functions, the House of Representatives should re-open all of the Government.” It urged the House to clear the Senate-passed short-term funding resolution, which contained no policy initiatives.

House Republicans rejected that approach and insisted on provisions to delay or defund the Affordable Care Act, President Barack Obama’s signature health law. Senate Democrats and the White House say they have no intention of doing so, leading to the impasse that created the government shutdown that started Tuesday.

House GOP leaders sought to shift pressure to Senate Democrats by introducing bills to restore funding to popular programs and parts of government. These included veterans’ services, national parks and allowing the District of Columbia government to keep operating, through Dec. 15. Those bills failed to gather the necessary two-thirds vote Tuesday night.

However, Megan Whittemore, a Cantor spokeswoman, said the NIH bill would be brought up under a rule that would allow a majority House vote.

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